Message of the President of Russia

“…launching a large-scale system-wide program to develop an next technolopgy generation economy, a so-called digital economy…

To reach a higher economic and social development level, we need our own advanced research and scientific solutions. We must focus on the sectors accumulating a powerful technological potential for the future – I mean, digital and other cross-cutting technologies determining all spheres of life…

Another priority is to strengthen our cyber security and considerably improve stability of all infrastructure elements, the financial system and the public administration system.

…We need to take inventory and to remove managerial, legal and any other barriers preventing our businesses from reaching existing and emerging high-technology markets; we also need to provide such projects with adequate financial resources…”

The Forum

On June 16, 2017, the CENTRAL RUSSIAN ECONOMIC FORUM will reopen in Kursk city. For the sixth time, it will unite thousands of professionals and experts; delegations of Central Russia’s regions and international delegations of partner countries will traditionally take part in the Forum.

The CREF 2017 Forum theme is MODERN ECONOMY IN A DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT.

Since the start of the 21 st century, the digital economy has been deeply embedded into the life of Russian regions. This new piece of reality upsets the traditional visions of economic processes leaving no place for conventional management systems.

One of the key signs of the digital economy expansion is virtualization of most of the infrastructure industries, with retail trade, advertising and marketing setting the pace.

However, digitalization also has a direct impact on the real sector as artificial intelligence comes into use and many internal processes become completely automated. Robots, electronic process management systems, cutting-edge telecoms are beingleveraged at many enterprises, and will become an integral part of each business in the near future.

While unleashing the potential of information technology in conventional industries, the electronic economy creates and coversnew requirements of the society, primarily in the field of information and social communications. Going beyond the limits of e-commerce and services, the electronic economy is penetrating into every aspect of life: healthcare, education, finance, etc.

What advantages and threats does this process pose for Central Russia? To what extent are these regions involved in the information society development? What actions should be taken to ensure that the region and its population benefit from the development of the digital economy and the information society? Placing these issues into the limelight today means a stronger position in the future.

What makes the electronic economy special is that it is based on networks, with the result that borders between territories are wiped out. The electronic production and services creation and management centers can be located anywhere without being geographically linked to the consuming region. This is the key feature and the key opportunity for central regions of Russia.

What should be made to attract network-based new economy development and management centers? What conditions could encourage intellectual production facilities to move into Central Russia?

The digital economy does not depend on sources of raw materials and energy – rather, it gravitates towards four key factors: capacity and quality of communications, comfortable environment, intellectual human resources and friendly bureaucracy.

Both Russian and international specialists warn about future changes in the labor market as the era of digital economy begins. According to market research studies, about 50% of today&#39;s occupations will disappear in the next 10-20 years. The sectors of logistics, manufacture, retail, agriculture will undergo major transformations, the number of administrative and managerial jobs will be inevitably reduced.

The digital revolution can aggravate social disparity instead of mitigating it, experts say. This requires thinking in advance so as to be able to pursue a reasonable labor policy, to develop comprehensive professional retraining programs.

And certainly, there are other relevant matters to be addressed at the 6 th CENTRAL RUSSIAN ECONOMIC FORUM.

All interested parties are welcome to join this dialogue. As usual, participation in the forum is free of charge. See you at CREF-2017!

Official Greetings

Kursk region Governor Alexander Mikhailov

Today’s economic reality sets new requirements for public administration principles and practices. We make active use of project management methods, implement target control and law enforcement models in priority investment climate improvement aspects, each of them being a separate project.

The federal Government pays increasingly higher attention to the system of strategic planning for a period of at least 20 years. Looking beyond this horizon, we must understand the way technology, science and humans develop. All management changes and innovations we launch are ultimately aimed at improving human lives.

Today, however, the ambitious challenge of improving management cannot be met without wide application of digital technologies. And this is just a small part of the iceberg called “digital economy” which now covers virtually all spheres of life: education, healthcare, online banking, manufacturing industries. This stage of development requires a lot more digital capacity and breakthrough technologies in the information sphere.

Official Greetings

Kursk region Governor Alexander Mikhailov

Today’s economic reality sets new requirements for public administration principles and practices. We make active use of project management methods,…

Today’s economic reality sets new requirements for public administration principles and practices. We make active use of project management methods, implement target control and law enforcement models in priority investment climate improvement aspects, each of them being a separate project.

The federal Government pays increasingly higher attention to the system of strategic planning for a period of at least 20 years. Looking beyond this horizon, we must understand the way technology, science and humans develop. All management changes and innovations we launch are ultimately aimed at improving human lives.

Today, however, the ambitious challenge of improving management cannot be met without wide application of digital technologies. And this is just a small part of the iceberg called “digital economy” which now covers virtually all spheres of life: education, healthcare, online banking, manufacturing industries. This stage of development requires a lot more digital capacity and breakthrough technologies in the information sphere.

Foreign analysts believe that the gap between Russia and digitalization leaders is currently about 5-8 years and will grow rapidly if no catching up efforts are made.

I am absolutely certain we can avoid that. We are fully aware of the need and relevance of active digitalization in all spheres of life. The Government of Russia is currently developing the state program “Digital Economy.” It should aim, among other things, at cutting expenses of businesses and citizens, ensuring mobility of goods, services and capital, stimulating across-the-board cooperation of economic entities in the digital space.

The IT development and active use in all sectors will certainly require major transformations in the education and training system. We understand that some occupations will no longer be in demand in the “new” market. Not all specialists, even if demanded by the market, will be able to meet the tougher requirements of the digital economy. An important task for the Government and the business community is to refocus the education system on the training of specialists possessing the necessary skills for making headway amidst the global digitalization of the production of goods and services.

Increasingly higher attention will be paid to the legal regulation of relationships in the digital economy, one of the prerequisites for a successful development of digital systems. This is also where government authorities should play the primary role.

Realizing that an effective modern digital economy cannot be built in a particular region, we decided that time has come for a broad discussion of the key digital economy-related issues and propose the 6th Central Russian Economic Forum as the discussion venue.

Most of the regions are approximately at the same level of information technology penetration: all of them have problems as regards information infrastructure development, technical resources, development of communications, training of specialists. I propose discussing both these issues and positive regional experiences at the Forum, so as to understand digital economy development prospects in Central Russian regions and to elaborate decisions on specific actions for the near future.

Kursk region has a positive track record of achievements in the IT sector. We are taking a leading position (1st or 2nd in Russia) in implementing GLONASS-based satellite navigation technologies (according to Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development); the local scientists make active use of space technologies, with several artificial satellites based on their solutions operating in Earth orbit; farm machines equipped with modern precision sowing and crop processing devices are working on the region’s fields; we have created an Earth remote sensing center; the leading enterprises of the region, the Kursk NPP and PJSC Mikhailovsky GOK, employ most complex and advanced IT-based production management systems.

I have no doubt that colleagues from other regions can share their experience and will show interest in the proposed Forum theme: “Modern Economy in a Digital Environment.”

Business meetings and individual program for Forum participants and guests / advance registration required /

PLENARY SESSION

(in the discussion panel format)

«MODERN ECONOMY IN A DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT»

Moderated by: Alexander Arkhangelsky, TV presenter, essay writer

Discussion agenda:

Current state and prospects of economy digitalization in Central Russia. How deeply are these regions involved in the formation of a knowledge society?

The digital economy bears the signs of a network structure not depending on sources of raw materials and energy, with the result that borders between territories are wiped out. This is the main threat and opportunity for Central Russia. What should be done to attract network-based new economy development and management centers? What conditions could encourage intellectual production facilities to move into Central Russia?

National digital economy development policy. What is the role of the Government: investments in the Internet development, R&D financing, ensuring a flexible regulatory framework?

Key prerequisites for the development of a new economy: powerful and high-quality communications, a comfortable environment, intellectual human resources and friendly bureaucracy. To what extent does Central Russia meet these requirements?

Strategy of creating a network of situation centers along with information-analytical systems on the territory of Russia.

Impact of the Russian Internet on the digital transformation of the economy.

The material basis of the digital economy. Vulnerability of new business patterns amidst predominantly imported means of production. Ways to preserve security and to cut dependence on foreign equipment and components. Domestic electronic industry as a foundation for the development of a secure digital economy.

Prospects for precision farming in agriculture of the Central Black Earth region.

How will the digital economy affect the labor market?

Going digital: an economy for the chosen ones. Ways to prevent aggravation of the social and economic imbalance? Digital disparity of regions.

The new pattern destroys the old development model, undermines many traditional sectors and consequently, increases social tension. Finding a balance between the old and new economy. Ways to protect those who lose in the digital economy.

The basic education is longer than the cycle of technology changes and cannot keep up with the accelerating IT transformation of the society. Ways to teach the new person to learn amidst explosive changes in science and technology.

Official welcome addresses:

*Alexander Beglov, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Central Federal District

*Sergey Katyrin, President of Russia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry

*Alexander Mikhailov, Governor of Kursk region

Information report:

*Ilya Dimitrov, Executive Director, Association of Electronic Trading Platforms, Business Rights Protection Commissioner for the President of Russia, Ombudsman for e-commerce, electronic state and municipal services.

Invited discussion participants:

Oleg Fomichev, State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Viktor Evtukhov, State Secretary, Deputy Minister of the Industry and Trade

*Alexey Kozyrev, Deputy Minister of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation

*Alexey Volin, Deputy Minister of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation

Lyubov Yeltsova, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Security of the Russian Federation

Dmitry Sazonov, Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, Innovative Development and Entrepreneurship

Karine Minasyan, Member of the Board – Minister in charge of internal markets, information support, information and communication technologies of the Eurasian Economic Commission

Igor Shchegolev, assistant to President of Russia

*Nikolay Ilyin, head of the information systems department, special communication and information division, Federal Protective Service of the Russian Federation

*Maxim Parshin, Head of the Department of Small and Medium Business and Competition, Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Mikhail Oseevsky, President of PJSC Rostelecom

Andrey Varichev, CEO, Management Company METALLOINVEST

*Vyacheslav Bezborodov, CEO, Research and production corporation REKOD

Vasily Brovko, Chairman of the Board of Directors, National Center of Informatization (Rostec)

DIGITALIZATION IN THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM. ELECTRONIC INFRASTRUCTURE

Discussion agenda:

Prospective model of public administration at the federal, regional and municipal levels, amidst accelerating digitalization.

Existing electronic systems of public administration and their development patterns for the coming years.

Digital complexes of public services as an important element of integrating citizens and businesses into the digital environment. Open data portal, portal of public services, multifunctional public services centers.

Creation of a network of situation centers integrated with information analysis systems.

Ensuring immediate inter-agency cooperation as a factor of increasing effectiveness of activities and decision-making of all the system participants.

Electronic services provided by public companies. Digital interaction between natural monopolies and the population.

Telecom space of Russia and its regions: formation experience, problems and prospects of development.

Electronic lifestyle: an important factor of the territory appeal

Access to the Internet for all. Infrastructure development, increasing digital literacy of the population.

Ensuring data transmission and storage security as a prerequisite for digital economy development

Data sharing. Creation of public digital archives.

NEW ARCHITECTURE OF ASSISTANCE TO SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES

Discussion agenda:

Substance of the new public administration system development stage in the sphere of support and development of small and medium-sized businesses.

Target model as an incentive for the development of small and medium-sized businesses. Analysis of prospects and weaknesses.

Adjustment of targets. A differentiated approach to assessing regions.

Mechanisms and measures for a breakthrough in the key target model indicators. Experience of regions.

Small business drivers. Replication of best regional practices.

Training opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses: an effective form of support to SME - a myth or real assistance to business?

Financial support to small and medium-sized businesses: a focus on the real sector.

Stimulation of demand for products of small and medium-sized businesses. The government authorities and the business community allying against corruption in the sphere of procurement and tenders.

Development of an information services system. Use of Information technology in eliminating “market ignorance” of novice entrepreneurs.

Development trends for multifunctional public services centers in the Central Federal District.

APPLICATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY AND AGRICULTURE. "PRECISION FARMING" IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR OF RUSSIA'S BLACK EARTH BELT. E-COMMERCE FOR THE REAL SECTOR

Discussion agenda:

APPLICATION OF IT SOLUTIONS IN THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY AND AGRICULTURE.

Best projects for implementing digital technologies in industry and agriculture.

Economic feasibility and effectiveness of IT in industrial applications.

Automation and robotization as the key instruments for improving efficiency of industrial production. Existing practices.

The age of “lean production”. Dealing with basic risks: unemployment and cyber threats.

Precision farming: an innovation in the system of sustainable environmentally friendly agriculture.

New technology: the use of space-based (GLONASS) and unmanned aircraft technologies for precision farmland mapping, the use of mobile soil laboratories, fertilization in the on-line system, harvest forecasting system.

The cost of implementing the precision farming system and its economic feasibility: what is more profitable for an agricultural producer?

Safety of new technologies in agriculture. Dealing with a system failure.

E-COMMERCE FOR THE REAL SECTOR

Electronic trading platforms for businesses. Special features of B2B electronic trading in the Central Russian region.

What can Kursk region offer in the sphere of electronic trading?

Specifics of infrastructure support and electronic trading logistics.

E-trading as a direct link between the manufacturer and the consumer. Commerce without warehousing.

New competitive environment. Price transparency as a trigger for tougher competition among producers.

Integration of electronic trading systems with the production and supply accounting complex at enterprises

A Russian equivalent of Alibaba. A domestic service for domestic goods. Are there domestic options? What can Kursk region and other Central Russian regions offer?

The quality of goods and services supplied via digital mercantile systems. Control and consumer protection mechanisms.

New development priorities for the Korenskaya Fair. Opportunities for digital exhibition activities. Virtual exhibition activities. The use of 3D technologies at exhibitions.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN FINANCE AND BANKING. A CASHLESS WORLD

·

Discussion agenda:

Fusion of banking and information technologies. Arrival of a new financial and technology industry.

The role of call centers in remote banking services. Automation of client support services.

New means of customer identification. Biometric recognition.

Integration and unification of financial technological platforms.

Personal marketing in the financial sector.

Effects of the technological revolution in the banking sector: fewer financial institutions, consolidation of existing financial organizations. Impact of the banking sector monopolization on the economy.

A cashless city.

THE ROLE OF YOUTH IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY. COMPETITION OF PROJECTS DEVELOPED BY YOUNG SCIENTISTS AND ENTREPRENEURS.

Discussion agenda:

Problems in the implementation and development of IT projects of young scientists and technology business owners.

Integration of modern information technologies and systems into the real economy: manufacturing industry, power generation, agriculture, housing and utility services.

Prospects and problems of development of information technologies in education.

Prospects and problems of development of information technologies in the medical industry and social sphere.

Telecom space of Russia and its regions: formation experience, problems and prospects of development.

Digital marketing and business promotion on the Internet: management of sales and trading services on the Internet.

SOCIAL PROJECTS IN A DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT: OPPORTUNITIES AND RISKS

Discussion agenda:

Interaction between businesses and the civilian sector in the web space.

Positioning regions in the digital information space.

The use of social networks in the positioning of a region.

Transition of social projects from offline to online. Regional projects affecting the image of the region.

The use of IT solutions in assessing the performance of government authorities.

Psychology of project managementImplementation of project management in the public sector (as exemplified by the “Project Olympus” competition)

APPLICATION OF RESULTS OF SPACE ACTIVITIES IN THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND INVESTMENT DEVELOPMENT OF FEDERAL SUBJECTS OF RUSSIA

Discussion agenda:

Prospects for the use of results of space activities to ensure information support of decision-making on the social, economic and investment development of Russian regions.

Information exchange between Russia’s National Defense Management Center and the regional governing bodies in federal subjects.

System of providing satellite imagery of territories to federal subjects of Russia in different modes of operation.

The system of multi-purpose application of results of space activities in Kursk region, development experience and prospects.

Capabilities of basic hardware and software for focused processing of space images of territories.

The need to create an integrated space of geodata on processes, objects and events on the territories and in economic sectors of federal subjects of Russia.

Pilot projects for the use of space activities results to support decision-making on the social, economic development of Russian regions.

Problems of personnel training and retraining, formation of a scientific and methodological complex for the application of results of space activities to support managerial decision-making.

Two exhibitions are held at the CREF 2017:

June 16, 2017 10: 00-17: 30

Interregional business exhibition

Sports and Concert Complex, 2-3 floors, Starry staircase

Exhibition of innovative developments of young scientists

Sports and Concert Complex, Ground floor

The exhibitions are devoted to the demonstration of promising developments in the field of digital technologies.

Speakers

Artem Sychev

Valeria Mozganova

Ilia Dimitrov

Igor Zimnenko

Alexsandr Arhangelskiy

Maxim Parshin

Alexsandr Mihaylov

Sergey Katirin

Alexsandr Beglov

Aleksandr Zubarev

Catalog of projects of young scientists and entrepreneurs of CREF

Today, basically, all discussions are held around short-term and medium-term anti-crisis measures. But it is during this period of our history that we can radically change the development path, directing it to create technologies of a higher order.

No less important problem is how do we educate the younger generation, what moral and cultural values ​​are taught to it, what will it be in ten to twenty years, and what will, in turn, leave for the descendants? What needs to be done to preserve our cultural heritage and create the conditions for the further development of creativity and arts? In which cities do we want to live, and how to make them comfortable and attractive for people?

All these issues we are obliged to solve today at the federal, regional and family levels. We propose to discuss possible ways of solving the problems facing us at the 5th Central Russian Economic Forum, which will be held on July 1-2, 2016 in Kursk.

Exchange of CREF contacts

EXCHANGE OF CONTACTS The CREF is a business platform intended for conducting scheduled negotiations on the days of the forum between interested organizations.

Any member of the forum has the opportunity to use a special business space for meetings with their partners. To do this, it is necessary to send to the organizing committee, or more precisely the Exchange’s contact secretary, an application for holding such negotiations with a particular organization of interest to him and receive confirmation of the meeting.

If the organization has an interest in holding a meeting with representatives of the Kursk Oblast administration or other forum participants, but does not have their contacts for the preliminary approval of such a meeting, it can contact the Exchange secretariat with a request to notify the organization of interest in the negotiations. The Secretariat of the Exchange of contacts will send a request to this organization and in case of receiving confirmation of the meeting it will assist in its organization.

June 16, 2017 Exchange of contacts will be located in the “Billiard room” of the JCC.

Any interested person who previously registered for participation in the forum and sent an application for holding a meeting to the Secretariat of the Contact Exchange can use the services of the Exchange of contacts.

About region

The central federal district is the most densely populated part of Russia. The population density is 57.5 people / km2. By area, it occupies no more than 4% of the territory of the Russian Federation, and at the same time 25% of the population lives in its territory, half of which is concentrated in the Moscow region.

The name of the district characterizes not only its geographical position in the center of the country, but also its historical function as the core of the Russian state, the center of economic, political and cultural life.

In the Central District are the largest training centers, research institutes, design organizations, cities of science, so it is characterized by a high concentration of qualified personnel, which explains the high level of development of science-intensive industries.

It is a developed industrial and agricultural region.

Ferrous metallurgy uses the natural wealth of the district – iron ore of the Kursk magnetic anomaly. According to the geological reserves, the KMA deposit is the first in the world. Shallow occurrence of ores (from 35 to 500 m) allows their development in open quarries. Mining of KMD ores accounts for 40% of the total iron ore output of the CIS countries.

Lebedinsky Ore Mining and Processing Plant in the Belgorod region produces a powdered ore concentrate, consisting of 2/3 of iron oxide. From here to the metallurgical plants concentrate is sent in the form of agglomerate or pellets.

The Novolipetsk Iron and Steel Works specializes in the smelting of pig iron and steel and ranks third in Russia in output after the Cherepovets (Vologda region) and Magnitogorsk (Chelyabinsk region) combines.

The most valuable wealth of the okrug are soils – chernozems. The humus content in them is from 4 to 12%, and the chernozem horizon itself reaches 1 m or more. These are the most fertile soils of Russia, therefore the district belongs to the main agricultural regions of the country. A significant part of its territory is occupied by fields of grain, technical and fodder crops: rye and wheat, millet and buckwheat, corn, barley, oats, silage grasses, sugar beet, sunflower. Livestock, horticulture and vegetable growing are developed.

The district’s agro-industrial complex specializes in the production of marketable grain, flour, cereals, sugar, oil, starch, canned fruits and vegetables.

Administrative-territorial composition of the district: Moscow, Belgorod, Bryansk, Vladimir, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kostroma, Kursk, Lipetsk, Moscow, Oryol, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tambov, Tver, Tula, Yaroslavl regions. Central and Central Chernozem economic regions are allocated according to natural conditions, location and development of productive forces in the territory of the district. The first group includes most of the regions of the Central Federal District, while the second group includes Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Lipetsk and Tambov regions.

About the Kursk Region

Administrative center:

Kursk

Area:

30.0 thousand km2

Population:

1 119 500 (2016)

Kursk Oblast is a developed and at the same time fairly ecologically clean industrial and agrarian region of the Central Federal District located in the belt of the temperate continental climate within the forest-steppe zone in favorable climatic conditions for efficient agricultural production.

The territory of the region covers an area of ​​30 thousand square kilometers (0.2% of the territory of Russia). The population of the region as of 01.01.2016 is one million 119.6 thousand people. Of these, 753,800 are urban dwellers, 365,800 live in the countryside.

96% of the population is Russian, only representatives of 44 nationalities live on the territory of the region, almost all religious confessions are represented. Currently, there are 355 municipalities in the Kursk region, including 28 municipal districts, 27 municipalities with the status of an urban settlement, 295 municipalities with the status of a rural settlement, 5 cities – Kursk, Zheleznogorsk, Kurchatov, Lgov, Shchigry. As of March 1, 1994, Kursk has three administrative districts: Zheleznodorozhny, Seim and Central.

The region has a developed transport infrastructure. The motorways and the railway network connect it with Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of Russia, industrial centers of Ukraine and Transcaucasia.

Air communication is carried out through the terminals of the Kursk airport, which has an international status.

6 main gas pipelines and 2 oil pipelines pass through the territory of the Kursk region. At the beginning of 2016, the level of gasification of the region as a whole was 93.7%, including 89.8% in rural areas.

The region possesses unique in terms of volumes and diversity of natural resources, capable of providing the region’s demand, and for some types of raw materials and other regions.